Captains Table's varied, standard fare is just fine

GO EAT

August 28, 2003|By Susan Gottshall Special to The Morning Cal

Trendy wouldn't come to mind in connection with The Captains Table -- traditional will do, however, for this Allentown eatery. Its uninspired decor echoes basic continental-style cuisine that features the usual, rather than out of the ordinary, cutting edge, culinary creations.

Set close to a busy road, the Captains Table makes its home in a rustic-looking building that imparts the feel of a mountain chalet. The restaurant's interior has a rustic ambiance as well.

Natural dark wood trim and open ceiling beams complement taupe-tinted walls in the main dining room. Minimal decorations include a few prints here and there and a ficus tree decked with tiny white lights. Above the cozy-looking brick fireplace in the dining room adjoining the bar, there's a large grapevine wreath, also strung with a length of white lights. Maroon cloths, topped with a second white cloth, cover tables set with maroon paper placemats.

Steak and seafood selections predominate the entrees. Featured steaks include London broil, New York strip, filet mignon and chateaubriand (not available on Saturdays). Seafood choices range from broiled lobster and Maine style lobster (breaded and deep-fried chunks) to a broiled combination (shrimp, scallops, crabmeat stuffing, and fish du jour), shrimp Parmesan, stuffed shrimp and crab Imperial.

Several chicken entrees (such as Cordon Bleu, Dijon, and chicken Swiss) and roast duck a l'orange round out the menu, along with a few pasta, pork and veal dishes.

The Captains Table menu also features a special section of nine entrees "for the smaller appetite." Here's a sampling of these selections: "soup & surf" (cup of seafood chowder, shrimp cocktail and salad); pork Parmesan (breaded pork tenderloin topped with mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce, served with spaghetti and salad); "soup & caps" (soup du jour or French onion soup, stuffed mushroom caps and salad), and Ipswich clams (cup of seafood chowder, clam strips, French fries and salad).

"Our own seafood chowder" was my choice for starters. This thick and rich, "business as usual" white chowder -- with pieces of fish, not just clams -- was standard fare.

Iceberg and romaine lettuces made up the base of a pedestrian dinner salad, topped with a few pieces of red cabbage, a tomato wedge and singular rings of green pepper and red onion. The house dressing, Dijon vinaigrette, was tasty -- with just the right balance of zing from the mustard. Along with nondescript Italian bread and seasoned rolls, the breadbasket included pre-packaged crackers.

From the specials menu, jumbo lump crabmeat over angel hair pasta was quite good. The crabmeat was excellent: sweet, rich and tender. Broiled striped bass, also from that night's specials, was mild and moist, except around the filet's thin edges, which were dry. Broccoli had lost its vibrant fresh color, but retained a touch of al dente texture nevertheless.

Except for cheesecake, the desserts at the Captains Table are made off premises.

A more than ample piece of carrot cake was particularly enjoyable, with its raisins and cream-cheese icing. Chocolate peanut butter pie was standard fare: a graham cracker crust topped with layers of chocolate, peanut butter, whipped topping and a few pieces of chopped Reese's peanut butter cups.